MANILA, Philippines – Once fierce opponents, Arwind Santos has now come into the defense of Kevin Ferrer.

Santos refused to pin the blame on Ferrer for his botched free throws as NorthPort absorbed its first loss in the PBA Philippine Cup by way of a 77-80 heartbreak from Magnolia on Wednesday, June 15.

Ferrer got sent to the line with 30 seconds left and the game tied at 77-77, but missed both of his potential go-ahead foul shots.

Without pressure to catch up, the Hotshots seized the upper hand as Jio Jalalon found Rome dela Rosa wide open on the left wing for the game-winning triple with six ticks remaining.

“I told him it is just okay, nobody blames him. I told him his mistakes is as much as ours,” said Santos in Filipino. “I said we’re here for him and that he should not think that it is the world against him.”

Free throws proved to be the name of the game as Batang Pier fell short of a 3-0 start.

NorthPort and Magnolia were virtually tied in all departments except for free throws, with the Hotshots going 12-of-15 for an 80% clip and the Batang Pier shooting 8-of-14 for a lowly 57%.

But Santos said he trusts Ferrer to come through in the clutch the next time out.

“When the time comes that we need to choose who will shoot those free throws, I told him we’re still going to go with him. We believe in him.”

Averaging 15 points before being limited to just 3 points against Magnolia, Ferrer vowed to bounce back as NorthPort tangles with Blackwater on Saturday, June 18, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

“I’ll take the challenge. I’ll persevere. I’ll do extra work in training,” Ferrer said in Filipino. “As a veteran, I need to move on as well.”

“I’m thankful for my teammates who cheer me up. The loss hurts. We really needed to beat them. But I’m thankful that my teammates got my back.” – Rappler.com